The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for displaying data in a dynamic environment.
In many computer systems, it is common to represent and convey information to a user through digital images. These images can take a variety of forms such as alpha-numeric characters, graphs and other pictorial representations. The digital images can be conveyed to a user on a raster display device, video monitor, printer or the like.
The images can be produced by authoring applications. An authoring application is a computer program that allows a user to assemble and arrange content and upon completion of the assembly, print or otherwise display the end result. A container for the content is referred to as a document. An authoring application can include a word processor, drawing engine, or other tools for creating content to be presented in a document. In addition, the authoring application can include an import tool that allows for content (objects) of differing formats to be imported into a document for display along with content produced by the authoring application. Examples of authoring applications include WordPerfect, Word(trademark) by the Microsoft Corporation, Persuasion, QuarkXpress, and Acrobat(trademark), PageMaker(trademark) and FrameMakert(trademark) applications by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
A document can include static content and dynamic content. The appearance of static content is constant for all types of output devices on which the content is displayed for each viewing of the content. Accordingly, static content appears the same when printed by a printer (a static output device) or when displayed on a computer monitor (a dynamic output device). Examples of static content include text and some forms of graphics. On the other hand, the appearance of dynamic content can change when viewed in a dynamic environment, such as when displayed on an electronic media device (e.g., a computer monitor). Dynamic content can change based upon the actions of a user. For example, a button can have an initial appearance when presented on a display and can change appearance as a mouse or other pointing device is dragged across the button in a selection process. Examples of dynamic content (pieces of a document that invoke a dynamic behavior) include video, hypertext links and bookmarks.
Documents that include dynamic content are often referred to as interactive documents. The construction of an interactive document typically involves two distinct phases: a composition phase and a functional phase. The composition phase defines the content and design of a document. The functional phase provides navigation and interactivity to the static content.
In the composition phase, static content is assembled into a document using an authoring application. This can include creating static content by the authoring application as well as importing static content of varied formats from other sources. The composition phase culminates in the production of a static file format representation of the document.
In the second phase, the resultant static file produced by the authoring application can be operated on by a second authoring application (a dynamic tool) to produce an interactive document. The dynamic tool allows a user to specify actions and drawing definitions for the display of objects in a dynamic environment. The dynamic tool produces as an output a dynamic format file that can include both static content and new dynamic content which can be viewed in a dynamic environment. Examples of dynamic tools include Acrobat, by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
The operation on the static file by the dynamic tool is typically irreversible, that is, the output produced by the dynamic tool bears little or no relation to the original static format file produced by the first authoring application. Any changes to the underlying static data requires a return to the composition phase and the regeneration of a new static format file. Subsequently, the functional phase must be repeated to add dynamic elements to the new (regenerated) static format file to produce a new dynamic format file which can be displayed in a dynamic environment.
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for producing a document with dynamic content for display in either a static or dynamic environment. A method includes generating an object including defining a dynamic characteristic for the object, storing the object in a embeddable file format and authoring a document using an authoring application including embedding the object into the document and preparing the document as part of the print process for display such that when the document is displayed in a dynamic environment the dynamic appearance of the object is displayed.
Aspects of the invention include can include one or more of the following features. The generating step can include defining a static appearance for the object where the static appearance of the object is for display when the document is displayed in a static environment. The dynamic characteristic can include two or more dynamic appearances. The static appearance can be selected from one of the dynamic appearances. The dynamic characteristic can define a behavior of the object or effect other objects in the document. The dynamic characteristic can define an triggering event and one or more appearances of the object when displayed in a dynamic environment. The dynamic characteristic can define a change in state, appearance or behavior of the object.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of displaying a document with dynamic content for display in either a static or dynamic environment. The method includes receiving a document produced by an authoring application as part of a print process. The authoring application embedding an object in the document as part of an authoring process to create the document. The object is stored in an embeddable file format and includes a dynamic characteristic for the object. The method includes initiating the display of the document on an output device. If the output display device supports dynamic content, the document is distilled to detect the dynamic appearance of the object and the dynamic appearance of the object is displayed when displaying the document on the output device.
Aspects of the invention can include one or more of the following features. The step of initiating can include converting the document into a PostScript file format. The step of distilling can include transforming the PostScript file to a PDF file format including dynamic content.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of producing a document with dynamic content for display in either a static or dynamic environment and includes embedding an object having a dynamic characteristic in a document and producing a printable document while retaining the dynamic characteristic of the object such that when the printable document is displayed in a dynamic environment the dynamic appearance of the object is displayed.
One advantage of the present invention is that dynamic content can be embedded in a static file format to allow for the easy generation and regeneration of documents by an authoring application. Dynamic actions including navigation and interactivity can be attached to individual objects which themselves can be imported into static format file documents. Navigation and interactivity can be defined while in the authoring stage of the development of documents for display in a dynamic environment.
Dynamic behavior can be defined for a family of objects by individuals who are qualified to develop interactive elements. Those objects can then be placed within dynamic documents by the individuals who are qualified to perform visual layout tasks. Nether set of individuals is required to learn the skills and tool sets used by the other.
The appearance of interactive elements can be developed separately from their behaviors, allowing experts in both graphics arts and in computer programming to focus on their areas of expertise while collaborating on the development of dynamic content.
A standard set of dynamic objects can be defined once, and then reused across an entire document, or set of documents, to provide a consistent interactive experience and to leverage the development process.
Other advantages and features will be apparent from the following description and claims.